While Four Chambers has always been a labor of love, 2017 has been truly exceptional. We launched our catalog by publishing four full-length books and a chapbook in the space of six months. We helped Cardboard House Press present the Uruguayan author Roberto Echavarren. We helped organize and promote Writers Resist. We presented spontaneous poetry at Independent Bookstore Day and Pie Social. We tabled at the Tucson Festival of Books, the Vegas Valley Book Festival and more. We teamed up with Scottsdale Public Art to present 8 local authors at Canal Convergence. We worked with our partners Cherie Buck-Hutchison and Ashley Czakowski to execute a second iteration of In Sight, a six month project matching 18 authors to 18 artists to produce collaborative work. 12 installments of our monthly literary salon GET LIT. 12 installments of our monthly Writing Group. 500 submissions for our first full-length manuscript call. Our fifth issue. All of thispumped by the blood of our hard-working volunteers.

Looking back on all of this feels incredible. Even when we were in the thick of it, feeling stressed out or overwhelmed, we never lost sight of what we were doing (and more importantly, who we were doing it for). But experience is one thing; reflection, another. And while every year has been bigger, better, more successful–2017 our most enterprising yet–it has also presented exceptional challenges. Not only in terms of our personal and professional lives (the details of which we’ll respectfully spare), but the organization itself.

And so, after giving this extremely careful consideration and thought, we have decided that, beginning this summer, May 2018, Four Chambers Press will be entering an indefinite hiatus as we stabilize operations, transition leadership, and work to create a more sustainable organization. While current titles will stay in print and special projects and collections will be considered on a case-by-case basis, regular publishing will be suspended. However, monthly programs like GET LIT and the Writing Group will continue uninterrupted.

While we’re unsure what the future of Four Chambers looks like, serving you these past five years has been—definitively, without a doubt—the greatest privilege, honor, and joy of our lives. We love you. We look forward to seeing what the next stage of Four Chambers looks like. We’ll see everybody around soon.

Call for WritersIndependent community literary magazine and small press Four Chambers seeks six individuals to create original literary work in response to large-scale public art installations during Canal Convergence 2018 Water + Art + Light, an annual public art festival taking place at the Scottsdale Waterfront (Scottsdale and Goldwater, Scottsdale, AZ 85251) February 23 – 24 and March 2 – 3, 2018. All individuals who are selected to participate in the project will receive a $150 stipend. Writers of all backgrounds and skill levels are encouraged to apply. To learn more, visit http://fourchamberspress.com/canal-convergence-2018.

GuidelinesAs these are temporary public art projects, this project calls for a participatory, immersive, and experiential process (with a particular focus on social and community practice). While individuals are encouraged to spend time before the festival visiting artists’ websites, familiarizing themselves with their work, or otherwise researching and preparing for the event according to their own individual creative process, however they may or may not see fit, individuals are expected to use their visit to the festival as the basis or inspiration for composing work.

While the work of art should figure or relate to the finished literary work in some way, the exact nature of this relationship is at the individual’s own discretion: the artwork itself; other projects by the artist; the artist themselves; people interacting with the installation; interactions around the installation; an association or memory derived from any of the above; directly, objectively, personally, analytically, critically, loosely; as long as it is somehow related to the project; whatever way works best for them. The more creative and interpretive individuals can be in their response, the better.

SpecificationsFinished work can be in any literary style, genre, language or form, and should be relatively short / capable of being performed in 5 to 7 minutes. Given the public nature of this event, work should also refrain from using excessive curse-words or portraying excessively graphic scenes. All of this being said, there are no particular guidelines or specifications for finished work.

Performance & DisplayFinished work will be performed live at Canal Convergence on Saturday evening, March 3, 2018 and posted on Scottsdale Public Art’s website.

StipendAll individuals who are selected to participate in the project will receive a $150 stipend from Scottsdale Public Art to assist in the research and completion of their work.

Beyond reviewing the featured artists and making three selections, you will need:

A brief cover letter

A relatively professional biography

Links to or examples of sample work

Applications will open on Monday, January 29th, 2018 and close Sunday, February 11th, 2018 at 11:59 pm Arizona time. Individuals will be notified via e-mail by Monday, February 19th, 2018. Please make sure to check your inbox and have the appropriate time set aside for meetings, workshops, and site visits should you be selected to participate.

Selection ProcessIndividuals will be selected on the basis of three criteria:

Strength of work

Choice of artist

Overall fit within the applicant pool

Given the relatively demanding nature of this project, individuals should have some kind of demonstrated track record, habit, or practice of reliable or consistent artistic production (though this does not need to be publication). Four Chambers will be seeking to assemble a broad pool of writers representing a diversity of backgrounds and styles. Writers of all levels of experience are encouraged to apply.

TimelinePlease note that all times are Arizona Time (and all dates are in the year 2018)

PHOENIX, AZ (January 9, 2017) . . . Independent community literary magazine and small press Four Chambers will be partnering with Scottsdale Public Art to bring a literary component to the annual Canal Convergence Water + Art + Light interactive art event on Sunday, February 26th, 2017.

Canal Convergence, which draws over 50,000 people and is entering its fifth year, brings together international and local artists to create a one-of-a-kind, immersive art event at the Scottsdale Waterfront (between Soleri Bridge and Goldwater Boulevard) from 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday, February 23 through Sunday, February 26.

Four Chambers will be seeking eight authors to respond to the festival’s featured installations. While each author will have ample time to prepare for and research their artist, authors will be asked to embrace the festival’s dynamic, temporary nature, and create their work during Canal Convergence itself. The finished pieces will be performed on Sunday, February 26th, on the main stage at 5 p.m.

A number of similar projects have been organized by the press over the past several years with the Phoenix Art Museum, the Welcome Hospitality restaurant group, and the downtown Phoenix art space Eye Lounge.

“Partnerships like this directly advance our mission of giving greater visibility to the literary arts and encouraging their larger participation in the cultural scene,” states Four Chambers Founder Jake Friedman. “They also serve to create a more dynamic experience for those who attend, and illustrates the richness and diversity of the arts scene within the Valley as a whole. We’re exceedingly grateful to Scottsdale Public Art for including us in such a time-honored tradition, and we’re very much looking forward to seeing what our authors come up with.”

Individuals who are interested in applying should visit Four Chambers website to review the guidelines and materials, prepare a short cover letter and portfolio, and complete the application. There are no formal requirements or qualifications, and individuals of all backgrounds and levels of experience are encouraged to apply. Decisions will be based on (a) the strength of the author’s portfolio, (b) the author’s choice of artists, and (c) holistic considerations for the project as a whole. All application materials are available online at http://fourchamberspress.com/canal-convergence.

Authors will perform their work on Sunday, February 26th, 2017 on the Main Stage of Canal Convergence from 5 – 6:30 pm. Finished work will also be posted on Scottsdale Public Art’s website. Authors will receive a $100 stipend for their work.

Canal Convergence 2017 features 8 large scale installations from international artists, including:

Polygonum 2.0 by Tom Dekyvere
Polygonum 2.0 by Belgian artist Tom Dekyvere is a large geometrical rhizome construction of rope and reflective triangles lit with multi-color LEDs. Consisting of over 13,000 feet of rope, the artwork will be installed above the Arizona canal between Soleri Bridge and Marshall Way Bridge, and will extend up to wrap the Marshall Way Bridge. Dekyvere’s public art practice explores the evolving and often unexpected bond between technology and the natural world. Polygonum 2.0 showcases the relationships between the organic and artificial structures specific to the landscape of Scottsdale Waterfront and the people who inhabit it.

Les Luminéoles and Lentille d’eau byPorté par le vent
Founded by kite and paragliding enthusiast Christophe Martine, artist association Porté par le vent brings two installations to Scottsdale from their native France: Les Luminéoles and Lentille d’eau. Les Luminéoles is a procession of five colorful “helium light kites” that will soar into the sky each evening to perform an enchanting aerial ballet. The kites take the forms of carps and dragonflies, and each creature is piloted by a single person residing in large, blooming flower on the ground that lights up with each flight. Lentille d’eau is a light installation composed of 50 luminous spheres which will be placed in the canal from Marshall Way Bridge to Goldwater Boulevard, and will radiate different color sequences each night.

Los Trompos by Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena
Scottsdale Public Art’s featured fall installation Los Trompos by Héctor Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena will be relocated from their various locations around Scottsdale to the Scottsdale Waterfront to join the installations of Canal Convergence 2017. The 10 brightly colored, interactive “spinning-top” sculptures are made from fabric woven in a traditional style by Mexican artisans. The fabric is stretched over the structures to seat several people at once. Functioning as both artwork and rotating seating spaces, each sculpture will act as a gathering place for relaxation, social interaction and entertainment at Canal Convergence.

IMPULSECreation and production: Lateral Office and CS Design, Production: Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, Montreal, Canada,Executive Producer: CREOS
During Canal Convergence 2017, parts of the Scottsdale Waterfront will be transformed into a light-up playground with IMPLUSE: an installation of 15 illuminated seesaws. When IMPULSE is activated by the motion of the seesaw-rider, each seesaw will produce a unique sequence of light and sound. When the seesaws are not in use, they return to a horizontal position with a subtle glow, waiting for the next set of visitors to climb on. IMPULSE is the collaborative creation of designers Lateral Office, CS Design, EGP and Group Mitchell Akiyama. It is owned by Quartier des spectacles Partnership and administered by the artist management group CREOS.

Blumen Lumen by Foldhaus Artist Collective
Blumen Lumen by Foldhaus Artist Collective is a grouping of seven larger-than-life origami flowers that bloom and glow with multiple colors as people move around them. When they are not activated by movement, the flowers close and bloom intermittently. Blumen Lumen premiered at Burning Man 2013 and has since traveled to art festivals throughout the United States creating a sense of communal wonder for all those who encounter them. During Canal Convergence, Foldhaus Artist Collective will offer a workshop where participants will learn how to make their own small scale, take-home folded geometric flower.

HYBYCOZO byYelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu
HYBYCOZO byYelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu is an installation of three, seven-foot tall polyhedron sculptures inspired by natural forms, ancient Islamic tiles, mathematics and geometry. Each sculpture will be lit with LEDs from the inside in order to cast colorful, intricate shadows highlighting “the inherent beauty of universal geometric form, symmetry and pattern.”HYBYCOZO was created through the collaboration of two artist: environmental scientist Yelena Filipchuk and industrial designer Serge Beaulieu. During Canal Convergence, the artistswill conduct a Make Your Own Geometric Work of Light workshop where participants can make a small scale polyhedron light to take home.

Canal Creatures – Where Are They Now? by Isaac Caruso and Ashley Macias
Canal Creatures – Where Are They Now? by Arizona-based muralist and painters Isaac Caruso and Ashley Macias will be an interactive mural painting installation placed at the underpass of the Marshall Way Bridge. The mural will follow the story of the Canal Creatures mural project, which was created by the artists during the 2013 SRP Canal Dry-Up at the Scottsdale Waterfront. With this installation, Caruso and Macias answer the question of what these creatures would look like now if they continued to grow and thrive in the canal. Caruso and Macias will paint the murals live during the first two days of Canal Convergence, and on the second two days they will invite the public to participate in the painting of the mural. The resulting collaborative artwork will continue to be on display at the waterfront after Canal Convergence has ended.

Moonflowerby Yun Quin Lee

Moonflower is an iridescent arrangement of flower sculptures that begin to glow as the evening sets in. Each flower’s petals are constructed with plastic netting covered in glow-in-the-dark paint, which is then lit up from the inside by its own solar-powered LED. The combination of the inner and outer glow radiating in the dark invites passersby to enter the luminous garden and enjoy its peaceful atmosphere. Additionally, the modular, wireless nature of the display will allow each flower the opportunity to take on a second life in people’s gardens after its next installation at i Light Marina Bay, Singapore’s annual light-based art festival.

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About Canal Convergence
Canal Convergence Water +Art + Light is free event created by Scottsdale Public Art that brings interactive, contemporary art installations by local and international artists to the Scottsdale Waterfront between Scottsdale and Goldwater roads. This annual celebration of art, water and light also includes hands-on activities, family-friendly workshops, live music and performances throughout all four days.

About Four Chambers Press

Four Chambers is an independent literary magazine and small press based in Phoenix, AZ whose mission is to give greater visibility to the literary arts, encourage their larger participation in the cultural, and develop a community of writers and readers. For more information, please visit http://fourchamberspress.com.